"...In 1940, Booker T. Washington became the first black American to be honored on a U.S. postage stamp issue. Since then, other black Americans have been honored as individuals and/or depicted as representatives of their race in different categories such as civil rights, sports, science, and music on U.S. stamps."

Georg Olden, famed graphic artist, became the first Black to design a U.S. postage stamp, which was released on this day. The stamp commemorated the 100th year of the Emancipation Proclamation. It featured a severed link in a large black chain against a blue background.
Olden attended Washington, D.C., public schools and Virginia State College, where he majored in fine arts. During WWII, he worked in graphics for the U.S. Department of the Interior and Office of Strategic Services. His work is in the permanent collection of the Amsterdam Museum in Holland. Olden died at age 55 in Los Angeles.

Black Heritage Stamp Series Continues
Anna Julia Cooper is 32nd Honoree
HAMPTON ROADS, VA — In 1978, the U.S. Postal Service began the Black Heritage stamp series with the issuance of the Harriett Tubman commemorative stamp. The Postal Service remains committed to this popular stamp series, which helps educate Americans on the achievements and contributions of noted African-American leaders, inventors, educators, scientists, lawyers, entrepreneurs, entertainers, and sports figures.

The 32nd honoree in the series will be Anna Julia Cooper, an educator, scholar, feminist, and activist who gave voice to the African-American community during the 19th and 20th centuries, from the end of slavery to the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. The 44-cent commemorative stamp, to be issued June 11, 2009, is a portrait of Cooper created by Kadir Nelson from an undated photograph.

The Postal Service has traditionally released the Black Heritage series stamp in February. Beginning this year, Black Heritage commemorative stamps will be released in June after the price change, allowing use of the stamp for a longer period of time without additional postage being added.

In February, the Civil Rights Pioneers 6-stamp sheet was released honoring 12 leaders of the struggle for African-American civil rights. These 42-cent stamps are available at most local Post Offices or online at www.usps.com/shop , but will require two cents additional postage if used.

NEW YORK CITY — The sacrifices of 12 civil rights pioneers were immortalized on postage today during the NAACP’s annual meeting in New York City. The Civil Rights Pioneers stamp sheet, bearing six 42-cent First-Class commemorative stamps, are available nationwide today. They were dedicated by U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors member Thurgood Marshall Jr.

The 33rd stamp in the Black Heritage series, to be issued June 22, honors pioneering filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, who wrote, directed, produced and distributed more than 40 movies during the first half of the 20th century. An ambitious, larger-than-life figure, Micheaux thrived at a time when African-American filmmakers were rare, venues for their work were scarce, and support from the industry did not exist. Micheaux’s entrepreneurial spirit and independent vision continue to inspire new generations of filmmakers and artists.

This stamp features a stylized portrait of Oscar Micheaux by Gary Kelley. The artwork is based on one of the few surviving photographs of Micheaux, a portrait that appeared in his 1913 novel The Conquest.

Although only 15 of his movies are known to have survived in whole or in part, Micheaux has become a cinematic icon. In 1986, he was posthumously awarded a special Directors Guild of America award. In 1995, the Producers Guild of America established the Oscar Micheaux Award to honor “an individual or individuals whose achievements in film and television have been accomplished despite difficult odds.”

Negro Leagues Baseball Stamp

The Negro Leagues Baseball stamps, to be issued in June, pay tribute to the all-black professional baseball leagues that operated from 1920 to about 1960. Drawing some of the most remarkable athletes ever to play the sport, including Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson, the Negro leagues galvanized African-American communities across the country, challenged racist notions of athletic superiority, and ultimately sparked the integration of American sports.

The Negro Leagues Baseball stamps pay tribute to the all-black professional baseball leagues that operated from 1920 to about 1960. The two 44-cent stamps comprise one scene painted by Kadir Nelson.

In 1920, Andrew “Rube” Foster (1879–1930)—who began his baseball career as a pitcher—established the Negro National League, the first successful league of African-American teams. Nicknamed “Rube” after defeating major-league pitcher George Edward “Rube” Waddell in 1902, Foster is considered the “father” of Negro leagues baseball. He is featured on the stamp.

The Negro Leagues Baseball stamps, to be issued in June, pay tribute to the all-black professional baseball leagues that operated from 1920 to about 1960. Drawing some of the most remarkable athletes ever to play the sport, including Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson, the Negro leagues galvanized African-American communities across the country, challenged racist notions of athletic superiority, and ultimately sparked the integration of American sports.

Clifton Reginald Wharton, Sr. (May 11, 1899 – April 25, 1990) was an American diplomat, and the first African American diplomat to become an ambassador by rising through the ranks of the Foreign Service rather than by political appointment such as Frederick Douglass. He also became the first black Foreign Service Officer to become chief of a diplomatic mission, and simultaneously the first black chief of a diplomatic mission to a European nation.

Born in Baltimore, Wharton received his law degree in 1920 and an advanced law degree in 1923 from Boston University School of Law. He practiced in Boston before joining the United States State Department as a law clerk in the Career United States Foreign Service. Wharton went on to be Vice Consul in Monrovia (1927-1929), Consul in Las Palmas (1932-1938), Minister to Romania (1958-1961) and Ambassador to Norway (1961-1964).

Wharton died in Phoenix, Arizona.

Wharton was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter organization established for African Americans.

On May 30, 2006, the United States Postal Service issued a stamp depicting Wharton in its Distinguished American Diplomats commemorative series.

His son Clifton Reginald Wharton, Jr. is a noted economist and executive.